The 40's in Searcy Arkansas. So you think our streets are rough now????

Did that "poor little country boy" tell you about his swimming pool? It was down the lane to the right about 100 yards. Swim suits optional. Well.... actually.... it was a swimming hole on Deener Creek and you had to chase the moccasins out before jumping in. Thanks for the picture. I saved it.

My grandfather's land was in the left background of the black and white photo. At the time, he was raising Swiss Charolais on his "spread". That land was annexed to the Duncan place some time after this picture was taken.

Bob C.

My grandfather, Jim Selvidge, owned the adjacent land. Jim has been featured on your blog under the Jim's Diner thread and mentioned in other threads.

No relation to Shorty Collins who I understand had some land further west off Holmes Road/ Collins Road.

Bob C

I live just a few blocks from the location noted above and we're practically smack-dab in the middle of Searcy.  It's hard to imagine the days when that property would have been considered "country", but when you look at the Google map of N. Sowell and W. McRae and all of the land behind it, it still looks fairly isolated!

Yes, that looks like way out in the country.  I don't remember that part of 
town growing up, as I lived down by the college.  My street was muddy before they started trying to fix it up.  That is why it was called "Mud Street", I guess.  That was the name we 
all remember it called when people my age talk about it.
 
Mr. Mario Frazier or Frazer also lived on Mud Street before my time.  From 
the way he talked, he lived in the house directly in front of my house.  He 
likes to talk about old times.  Haven't seen him for quite awhile now.  He 
used to come to McDonald's every day.
 
My uncle, 12 years older than me and still living, used to carry me piggy back to the movie sometimes. When we got home, he  would have me wait on the back porch while he got a wash pan of water and soap.  He would wash my feet and his feet, then we would go inside.  He would lay on the couch reading and I would sit on the floor 'reading' comic books.  Maybe that is where I got my love of reading.  That was before I started to school.   
Oh, well, enough of my rambling. 

'

Thanks for the picture, Barbara.  I spent many, many days on the creek just to the right of your picture, swimming and fishing in the creek.  Some days the fishing was really great, I would catch "punkin' seeds" all of 4 inches long.  There was a hole just at the back of the Duncan farm, which we called "Catfish Hole" because one day Charles Ward caught a catfish there at least 10 inches long.  So the fish were not much for eating but we had a great time catching them.  My folks never worried about me being donw there but did forbid my swiming in the creek, didn't do much good though.

Barbara, I lived at 1212 W. Race in a rock house.  We had pictures on the blog earlier.  So I just had to walk about 6 blocks.  But it was up hill both ways.  :-)  No, the pond wasn't there.  A typical day we would start walking the creek at Duncan's and end up our on Arch Street about where the high school is now. 

Harold Gene